Furnace-charging box.



.No. 793.852. IPATENTED JULY 4, 1905. C. Q. QMITH.

FURNACE CHARGING BOX.

APPLICATION" FILED 001210.1904.

2 BHEETE8HEET 1.

WWNEfiEEJm I mvmwmam ww hw WW" No. 793,852- PATENTED JULY 4, 1905.

G. O. SMIJPH.

-l-"URNAOE CHARGING BOX. APPLICATION FILED 0OT.10.1904.

2 BHEBTS-8HEET 2.

iitlm 793.852.

'ra'irns CAMERON Patented July t, T905.

(l. SMlllll, OF PllTSBUhG, PENN@YLVANIA.

rnnnaee cnanenae Estilllt...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,859 dated July 4, 1905.

Application filed October 10, 1904. Serial No. 227,936,

To (0% whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, CAMERON U. SMITH, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Alle gheny and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Fur nace-Gharging Boxes; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription thereof.

My invention relates to furnace-charging boxes; and the object is to provide an article of this kind which is stronger and more durable than prior charging-boxes.

Fiu'nace-charging apparatus in quite extensive use comprises a box having a socket formed on one end for receiving the flanged head of a charging-bar mounted on a suitable carriage and operated by suitable motors and whereby the box filled with material is projected into the furnace, the bar then rotated to discharge the contents of the box, and the latter then withdrawn. Furnace -charging apparatus of this character is shown in United States patent to S. T. and U. H. V /ellman, No. 569,075, October 6, 1896.

My invention relates to boxes for use with charging apparatus having a bar provided with a flanged head for engaging the box.

The charging-boxes most generally used prior to my invention had the bodies'lormed of sheet or plate metal riveted to an end piece formed of cast-steel or cast-iron and which was provided with the undercut-socket for receiving the flanged head of the chargingbar. These cast ends heretofore have been made straight from side to side, and they are the weakest portion of the boxes. These end portions are subjected to very severe strain, due to the fact that the load is projected a considerable distance from the point of support-that is, the socket-"so that the load acts on a long lever and has a tendency to fracture the box end. A further detect is due to the fact that these box ends being made of cast ings are full of shrinkage strains produced in part by the cooling of the castings after being poured and to a large extent by the alternate expansions and contractions to which the boxes are subjected, due to the repeated heatings they receive when inserted in the furnaces for charging. As a result it is found that these cast ends very soon crack, the cracks in most instances appearing at the two upper corners of the box and other cracks extending from points substantially straight above the two sides of the socket and extending downwardly and inwardly toward the vertical center of said box end.

The principal object of my invention is to construct a charging-box end so that the fore going difliculties are overcome.

A further object is to provide a box made as a single solid casting.

To these ends the invention consists, generally stated, in providing a box end having the socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar, which box end at its upper portion, at least, is fluted or corrugated, said flutes or corrugations extending vertically and gradually disappearing and merging into the straight lower portion of the box end.

The corrugations in the end wall give a fluted or serpentine appearance to said end when viewed in plan, and therefore when the casting cools these corrugations tend to straighten out, thus preventing the formation of strains due to the shrinkage in cooling and leaving the end of greater tensile strength than is the case with straight-walled ends. Furthermore, the contraction and expansion to which the box subjected in use will merely result in the alternate straightening and bending of the corrugations and will not prod uce detrimental strains. The corrugated end also is very much stilier than a straight end.

In the acconu ianying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved box. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same, and Fig. t is a plan view showing my improved end applied to a sheet-meta1 body.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the chargingbox is formed as an integral steel casting having a bottom 1, side walls 2, a tron t end wall 3, and a lifting end 4. The latter is provided with a socket 5 for receiving the flanged end of the charging-bar, as will be readily understood. This socket has straight side portions 6, provided with overhanging edges 7, having straight inner faces, and a bottom connecting portion 8. The end wall of the box is provided with a socket 9 for receiving the end of the central bolt of the charging-bar, and the front and rear end walls of the box are also preferably provided with holes 10 for receiving the hooks of a crane or other suitable lifting device. The upper portion of the end wall 4 is fluted or corrugated vertically, so as to give to said end when viewed in plan a waved or serpentine form, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. These flutes or corrugations extend down approximately half-way of the height of the box and gradually merge into the straight lower portion thereof, as indicated in Fig. 3.

Extending from the upper ends of the socket side members 6 are strengthening ribs or flanges 12, which extend out to the corners of the box and slightly around the same, as shown in Fig. 1. These strengthening-ribs prevent the formation of cracks at the corners of the box.

The corrugated upper portion of the box end produces a much stiffer box end than one with straight walls, so that it will more effectually withstand shocks to which it is subjected. More important, however, is the fact that when the box end is cast the shrinkage taking place during the cooling thereof will merely have a tendency to straighten out these corrugations, and as a consequence the metal will not be placed under strain. Hence it has a very much stronger initial strength than a straight-walled box end. Furthermore, the alternate heatings and coolings of the box while in use and the expansion and contraction resulting therefrom will merely result in alternately increasing and decreasing the depths of the corrugations and will prevent strains from being produced in the metal.

The box end described is very m uch stronger than box ends of the same weight made according to the old method, and the life thereof is many times greater. By reason of the longer life of the box ends the body of the box may be formed integral therewith, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3; but the box ends may, if desired, be used in conjunction with the prior form of body formed of sheet-metal side and bottom portions 13, riveted to flanges 14 of the box end and having the front end piece formed as a flanged pressed plate 15, riveted to the main body portion. This modification is shown in Fig. at.

The number, shape, and depth of corrugations may obviously be varied considerably, the drawings showing merely one form to illustrate the principle.

XV hat I claim is 1. An end for a furnace-charging box provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar and having its upper portion corrugated or waved.

2. An end fora furnace-charging box provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar and being of waved form.

3. An end for a furnace-charging box consisting of a casting provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar and having its upper portion corrugated or waved.

41. An end for a furnace-charging box consisting of a casting provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar and provided with flutes or corrugations extending vertically.

5. An end for a furnace-charging box consisting of a casting provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar, said end having its lower portion straight from side to side and having its upper portion provided with flutes or corrugations extending vertically.

6. An end for a furnace-charging box consisting of a casting provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar, said end having its upper portion provided with vertically-extending flutes or corrugations decreasing in depth downwardly.

7. An end for a furnace-charging box consisting of a casting provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar, said end having its lower portion straight from side to side and having its upper portion provided with vertically extending corrugations or flutes decreasing in depth downwardly and merging into the straight lower portion thereof.

8. An end for a furnace-charging box consisting of a casting provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar and having strengthening-ribs extending from the upper portions of the sides of the socket out to and around the corners, said end having its upper portion provided with vertical flutes or corrugations.

9. A furnace-charging box having bottom, side and both end walls formed as an integral casting, one of said end walls being wavedor corrugated when viewed in plan and being provided with a socket for receiving the end of the charging-bar.

In testimony whereof I, the said CAMERON U. SMITH, have hereunto set my hand.

CAMERON (1. SMITH.

l'litnesses:

Roam-yr G. TOTTEN, F. TV. iVnrtrm-r. 

